Taj Mahal still at risk from air pollution

Unabated risk

Agra: Fifteen years after the Supreme Court of India announced a set of measures to protect the Taj Mahal and nearby historical monuments from air pollution, they still remain at risk.

A slew of initiatives have been taken and millions of rupees have been spent. A natural gas pipeline has been laid to supply clean fuel to industries in Agra and Firozabad, diesel-run three-wheelers have been replaced by CNG-fuelled vehicles and heavy investments have been made in the Mathura refinery to reduce pollution.

But the ground realities haven't changed much, say the citizens of Agra. D K Joshi, a member of the committee set up by the apex court to see that its directives are carried out, says a lot has to be done before "one can say Agra has become environmentally safe for the Taj Mahal".